New products to Moody Mare include “Arena Dirt” which is a facial scrub/mask made with activated charcoal. “Accident Prone” which is an all around ouchy healing salve. “Wrong Bush” is a classic drawing salve that has activated charcoal and pine tar, don’t let the smell put you off, this stuff works! My personal favorite is “Parting Company”, which is a muscle soothing salve for when you and your mount “part ways”

You can find Moody Mare at the florist in Tottenham mall or email twitch@bell.net to place an order.

One of our sponsors, Eat Sleep Ride Repeat, wants your input on what they should offer in their online store. Complete a quick survey and be entered for a chance to win an Eat Sleep Ride Repeat quarter sheet and ride card holder (a $75 value!). Draw to take place April 29th at the first OCTRA endurance ride of the season. The Eat Sleep Ride Repeat team will be doing a Facebook live session so make sure to follow them to see if you’re the big winner!

The Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) has been notified of two confirmed cases of Equine Herpes Myeloencephalopathy (EHM), caused by equine herpes virus 1 (EHV-1).

The horses from Durham Region were referred to the Ontario Veterinary College with neurological signs and are receiving treatment. Three other horses on the farm have tested positive for the mutated (neuropathogenic) strain of EHV-1 on nasal swabs but are not demonstrating neurological signs at this time. The farm owner has voluntarily placed the premises under a self-imposed quarantine to reduce the risk of viral spread.

Current vaccines may reduce viral shedding but are not protective against the neurological form of the disease. Implementing routine biosecurity practices is the best way to minimize viral spread. The best method of disease control is disease prevention.

Recently, it has been great to see schools offering equine programs. These produce knowledgeable professionals and creates standardization across the industry. But are grads from these programs finding the jobs they want in the industry?

Many of them will probably end up working as in a barn or maybe they’ll take an office position until something opens up in their field. For many, the hardest part may be just getting their foot in the door. So, what’s the best way to do that?

Keep in touch with former employers and colleagues. They may know of positions coming available and could be used as references.

Follow instructions – read the entire job posting to find out exactly what the employer is asking for. It would be a shame to miss out on a great opportunity because your application was missing one line of information.

Don’t just print off your standard resume and cover letter. Tailor it to the position you are applying for. Is your dream job not posted. Try sending your resume off to the company. They may have something come up that is not publicly available yet.

Come to the interview prepared. This is not the time or place to wing it. Bring questions to show that you did some research about the company and to find out if the company and/or role is right for you.

Be honest. Don’t pad your resume with skills that you don’t have. The truth will eventually come out. It also goes the other way too. If the job is not for you, say so.

Work out details of accommodations or how you are going to get to this job ahead of time. You don’t want to waste their time or yours if you get a job only to find out you won’t be able to show up to work on time (or at all!)

Show that you are interested. Show up on time and dress appropriately. You don’t need to show up in a suit or skirt if it’s a position in a barn, but look professional.

Show initiative and don’t be shy. Be confident about yourself and what skills you can bring to the company.

Be realistic about wages. Unfortunately most positions in the equine industry are not well paid.

Guelph resident Alana Van Paassen started riding horses competitively at the age of 6.

“My mom grew up on a farm and rode Western, she loved horses and wanted to learn English riding,” said 27-year-old Van Paassen.

Mother and daughter took lessons together each week in Georgetown, a short drive from their home in Caledon.

Van Paassen’s love for horses grew, and her thrill and skill in competing became obvious. By the age of 8, she was the proud owner of her very own horse, TJ, and by 12 she had three horses.

Alana’s mom, Louise Van Paassen, continued to support her daughter even when their weekly riding lessons discontinued. Alana’s competing schedule grew more intense, with three day events all over Canada and the United States. She continued training and growing in her skills, with her mother by her side.

By 2001 the 12-year-old rider had won a Provincial Title — her first major win.

In April 2006 the Van Paassen family experienced a devastating loss.

Alana was in a tragic motor vehicle accident that claimed her mother’s life and left Alana with serious injuries. The mother and daughter duo were on the 401, just outside of Cambridge, and were heading to Kentucky to watch a riding competition. Shortly after leaving their house in Caledon Louise had a heart attack at the wheel of the car.

The Van Paassen vehicle rear-ended a transport truck at 80 km/hour, and Louise died of a heart attack. Alana’s injuries were substantial. The dashboard of the car fell onto Alana’s left leg, breaking her femur in 12 different places.

The jaws of life removed the debris and rescued Alana from the wreckage, where she was transported to Cambridge Memorial; she stayed there for five days and had emergency surgery on her shattered leg.

Following the accident Alana had a long road to recovery, along with processing her grief over her mother’s death.

Van Paassen was on crutches for nine months, and went to many physiotherapy appointments to recover the use of her left leg. For 18 long months Van Paassen did not ride a horse. She was also in her final year of high school at the time, and was able to graduate with her class in 2007.

“As I recovered I started thinking about riding without my mom around,” she shared. “A woman named Shannon Gerryts was my riding coach at the time.”

Shannon became a sister and confidant to 17-year-old Alana, helping her to process her grief over her mother’s loss. Gerryts even rode the teenage Van Paassen’s horses while she couldn’t, continuing to motivate the young equestrian and encouraging her to consider competing again.

“She helped me to figure out who I am,” said Van Paassen, speaking softly. “She stepped in some ways, and helped me to be independent in other ways.”

By 2009 Van Paassen was accepting her first championship title since her 2006 accident, despite the intense pain she continued to experience from her injury.

In 2010 Van Paassen was back in surgery, after she broke her leg a second time while riding, and began the process of relearning how to use her left leg again. She said that despite the many setbacks, the 2010 injury turned into a blessing, with the surgery being more successful and her pain moving forward more manageable.

Around this time Van Paassen began teaching riding lessons, and word of mouth spread about her talent as a teacher and a rider. After studying at the University of Guelph Van Paassen decided to stay in the city, and eventually purchased her first home.

“I never thought I’d be teaching full time,” said Van Paassen, who now boards horses and owns and operates For the Win Equestrian, where she trains equestrians of all skill levels, from novice riders to competitive riders.

Recently Van Paassen has decided to branch out and learn new skills beyond riding.

“I’m trying to get out of the struggling artist lifestyle,” she said with a laugh, adding that she’s working in the real estate industry in investing and property management.

Alana still remains close to her friend and confidant, Shannon. She said Shannon is her “training partner,” and has been a great encouragement as she begins to train to compete once again.

There’s no doubt that Guelphite Alana Van Paassen has overcome many obstacles as a young rider, but her story is proof that perseverance and determination can make anyone a winner.

Today, when she rides she remembers her mother’s love for their horses, and is thankful for that her mother gave her the greatest gift of all — her own passion for horse riding.

Can’t ride because the footing is too icy? Perhaps it’s too cold to ride but you still want to have fun with your horse? Don’t fret! Here is a list of 10 things to do with your horse if you can’t ride (or just don’t feel like it):

2. Practice braiding your horse’s mane and tail. Not only can this save you money if you show, if you get good enough, you can offer your services to other riders. There are a number of fantastic books and YouTube videos out there to give you some inspiration and tips.

3. Get to know your horse’s vitals. Practice the equine health check. It’s always good to know what is normal for your horse so in the event you think something is wrong, you can perform a quick check before you call the vet. Equine Guelph has a great resource to help out with this: http://www.equineguelph.ca/pdf/facts/Health_Check.pdf(more…)

Securing your barn and tack room is half the battle in preventing tack theft. Tack is not cheap. Plus it is a hassle to replace. Here are a few simple steps you can take to help protect yourself from tack theft:

Invest in strong locks. A deadbolt lock may be enough of a deterrent for a potential intruder to move on and look for a softer target. Also be sure to secure windows. Locking saddle racks are also available, which are great for shows!

Install motion-sensor lights. Use lights around your property and barn entrances to scare off intruders before they even get close to stealing. Position the lights so that they are visible from the house if they get set off.

Get a dog. Even if they are not intimidating, their bark may warn you to potential intruders. (more…)

Chloe & Melissa are two of the out-of-town members of the Canadian Cowgirls rodeo drill team.

The Canadian Cowgirls are a professional, not for profit team that travels all over North America as ambassadors promoting our love of our country, flag and the horse.

We are flattered to be often compared to the RCMP Musical ride, with a few small differences; one of which is that we do not receive government funding.

This team is not our full time job – it’s our hobby and our passion. We use our weekends and our vacation time to travel and rely on sponsorships and fundraising to afford to take our show on the road and share our passion with others.

Being a part of this amazing team has given us the opportunity to live out a big dream… between now and June we will be fundraising to get ourselves and our horses Sysco & Jessie to the dream rodeo… The Calgary Stampede 2017!!

To assist with this exciting (and huge) trip, we will be selling beautiful red maple leaves for $10 each. Each leaf sponsored goes directly to our personal fundraising goals to help us get all the way to Calgary.

On October 1, 2016 the Ontario Competitive Trail Riding Association (OCTRA) hosted their provincial Ride n Tie championship race in the Dufferin Forest just north of Orangeville.

This year’s race covered a 20km (12 mile) course through the trails of the Dufferin Forest. 5 teams set out to tackle the challenging trail with the top 3 team finishing fairly close to one another. Ashley Tomaszewski and her brother Alex riding Splash won the race with a time of 2:08:00. Coming in a close second with a time of 2:18:00 was Susan Winmill and Caitie Ciampaglia with Traverston Batique. Third place went to Alana McDougall, Jessica Davis and Distinctly Western finishing with a time of (more…)

Taking a good selfie is hard. It’s even harder when you’re trying to include your 1000 pound partner with a mind of their own! Here are some tips and tricks to master that perfect picture to post on social media.

Lighting

There’s a reason some of the best selfies are taken in the car – natural, unfiltered light, no backlighting (can make you look washed out if not done quite right), main light source coming from front. “Walls” of the car shadow either side of face adding depth to the lighting. Because it is nearly impossible to fit a horse in a car, you can get a similar effect in a door entrance or barn aisle. (more…)